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Collection Overview

Title:
John Farson III Photograph Albums of the Evans School
Repository:
Manuscripts Division
Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dctb09jj51k
Dates:
1925-1926
Size:
1 box and 0.4 linear feet
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Box B-002067
Language:
English

Abstract

Consists of two photograph albums belonging to John Farson III documenting his preparatory school years at the Evans School in Arizona from 1925 to 1926.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

Consists of two photograph albums belonging to John Farson III documenting his preparatory school years at the Evans School in Arizona from 1925 to 1926. There are some photographs from the beginning of his senior year of high school in 1926 at Phillips Academy Andover in Massachusetts.

The 1925-1926 album has an index pasted to the inside cover describing places, contents, and names of people. Primarily consisting of photographs of the Evans School in Tucson, Arizona, which Farson refers to as 3R Ranch, there are other locations depicted in this album as well, including Guaymas, Hermosillo, and Nogales in Mexico; Tanque Verde Waterfall and Tanque Verde Canyon; Youtcy Canyon; downtown Tucson, Arizona and several other towns in Arizona (Tempe, Ash Fork, Cameron, etc.). Other locales include the Rincon Mountains, Tumacacori Mission, and Fresnel Ranch.

Photographs of these various places primarily consist of landscapes, train stations, and town- and cityscapes, where Farson photographed some of the buildings and people. There are also photographs of La Fiesta de Los Vaqueros and the April Vaquero Contest.

The photographs of the Evans School in Tucson, which Farson refers to as 3R Ranch, include pictures of Evancoyd, where Henry David Evans and his wife lived, the school grounds, cabins, buildings, and surrounding landscapes, as well as photographs of the students, their horses, and the faculty. There are photographs documenting the "school movie" being filmed with portraits of people in costume and acting in scenes. This movie was mentioned in Sybil Ellinwood's article for the Autumn 1974 issue of The Journal of Arizona History as being "The Cowboy's Treasure," written and directed by two Harvard graduates, Gerald Courtney and Herbert A. Woodbury, who were on the faculty in 1926.

The second photograph album documents the summer of 1926, when Farson finished up his time at the Evans School and began his senior year at Phillips Academy Andover. During the summer months, Evans School students spend their time in Flagstaff, Arizona going on field trips to archaeological sites and Native American reservations. Photographs show archaeological dig sites; landscapes of scenery, rock formations, and vistas in Grand Canyon National Park; school grounds and cabins; and photographs of a ceremony performed by Hopi people.

There are some beachside or waterside photographs from July to August, which appear to be back on the East Coast. There are photographs of people golfing and kayaking, and people who may be family and/or friends. The album ends with photographs of Andover campus grounds, including buildings, a chapel, an athletic field, school events, dormitory interiors, and individual and group photographs of classmates and friends. Some of the photographs on campus include progress photos of a building's construction. The album ends with two photographs of John Farson III in naval uniform.

Content Warning

One of the photograph albums has two photographs of human skeletal remains at an archaeological excavation site, likely conducted on Hopi land.

Arrangement

Materials are arranged in the order in which they were received.

Collection Creator Biography:

Farson

John Farson III was born 1908 in New York City, N. Y. to John Farson, Jr. and Pearl Laverty Farson. During his secondary education, he attended the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut, the Evans School in Arizona, and Phillips Academy Andover in Massachusetts. He had a younger brother, Rodney Farson (1910-1934), who also attended Andover.

Collection History

Acquisition:

Purchased from Kevin Jackson in September 2022 (AM 2023-100).

Appraisal

No materials were removed from the collection during 2023 processing.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Amy C. Vo in December 2023. Finding aid written by Amy C. Vo in December 2023, with some contextual information provided by Sybil Ellinwood's article, "East Meets West in the Field of Education," in the Autumn 1974 issue of The Journal of Arizona History.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

John Farson III Photograph Albums of the Evans School; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dctb09jj51k
Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Box B-002067